There
are authors who can spin a plot and not provide good characters, and others can
do the opposite. At the suggestion
of a friend, I read one of John Irving’s books. The plot was, to be kind, not at all worth reading. The characters were wonderfully drawn,
saving the day for me.
I
ended up reading another couple of his books. No improvement, yet the man has had the plaudits of critics
and I assume made a fortune with the movie of Garp.
I
don’t know why the thought came to me, but I contrasted Irving’s books with A
Talkative Corpse by Ann Sterzinger after reading.
It
was with some optimism that I obtained Sterzinger’s book. She is the editor of an online venue and
in her reviews and columns expresses enough thoughtcrime
to pique my interest.
That,
however, was not the deciding factor.
More important was the price.
I am often stuck several hours a day without anything to do. If I have my ancient laptop, I can
write. The kindle, a tool I never
thought I would like, is my break.
Still, the budget is such that an outlay for a book that displeased
would be a defeat.
I
found The Talkative Corpse a generous bargain. Sterzinger’s main character, John Jaggo, is also our entre
to the others. We don’t really
hear them other than through Jaggo.
Even so, we get to know, if not love them.
Interestingly,
the author is a woman, but her narration in a man’s voice is correct. On her blog and columns she displays
somewhat of a tough broad persona.
It may not be too far a stretch in portraying the hard life of John
Jaggo.
The
action centers around Jaggo, chronicling his non-happy life to be preserved for
a post-history future. When we
meet him, he is at a low point, we guess.
His life does not seem to have had many high points for contrast. One would not think such a depressed
fellow would be a promising subject.
Jaggo,
when we meet him has not recovered from a devastating end of his last
relationship. Our man paints a
picture of a right witch. He burns
with a vast hatred for her.
John
has a profession in which he was prosperous, but is no longer part of. The jobs usually accessible to him are
those that would be referred to as soul numbing. This is a vehicle for Ann to expound on the class and
employment landscape of the 21st Century.
It
is not a lovely view. So-called
capitalism is cruel and despite the supposed safety nets available, the cracks
to fall through are wide. Jaggo is
adept at finding them.
Though
it is not stated, there is evidence that the man is an alcoholic. Certainly, he seems to be doing his part
to keep the nation’s beverage industry healthy.
His
relationship with his ex is not completely over. There is occasional texting at strategic points of pain and
she occupies a lot of space in his head.
His bitterness is heightened during inebriation, did we mention he is no
stranger to that.
In
one episode he evokes a, well I’m not sure what it is. Bertram the animani becomes his boon companion
and drinking buddy. The conjured
entity has a mission. He will kill
the most hated person in Jaggo’s life, but also the one he loves.
To
complicate matters, Jaggo has found love.
Up to that point, his life and person do not make him all that loveable
and hardly desirable. Yet he and
May connect over music and start making beautiful music together.
It
appears May has a pure love for John.
There is wonderment in this because how could such a beautiful person
love someone who has come across as an unattractive specimen. This brings us to the voice of humility
maxim, - Love is not merely blind, it is oft deaf, dumb and stupid.
May,
for all her nobility of spirit shares John’s inability to attain an
economically advantageous position in life, so there may be a clue there.
Now
he at least has some purpose in life.
Well, two goals, love May and keep Bertram from killing her because of
that.
There
are parts of the book I can’t really get into. The music John and May like is not anything I have much experience
of listening to, having of, being born too late. Moi, I never got the Rebecca Black hating, as I thought her
song representative of most modern music. *
As
noted on her blog, Ann
does have a favorite music video. It is not to bad, having some energy. I don’t need to listen to it again.
Sterzinger
has been linked to antinatalism.
This is the idea, as far as I understand it, that we would have been better off not being born. For a good part of The
Talkative Corpse, it is hard to argue that in regards to Jaggo’s sad life. When he meets May, all better. Life is still hard, he has to keep May
alive and work at a lousy job, but existential purpose has arrived.
After
Bertram finishes his task and departs, life will be forever sweet, or close
enough we guess. He ends his missive
to the future and goes on.
Sterzinger’s
style and way with metaphors, with her plot bespeaks a fine talent. She deserves to be read ahead of most
contemporary writers. Did I
mention one?
